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BACKGROUND: Microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) are emerging as a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease in preclinical studies. Direct evidence that this risk extends to humans is lacking. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, multicenter, observational study involving patients who were undergoing carotid endarterectomy for asymptomatic carotid artery disease. The excised carotid plaque specimens were analyzed for the presence of MNPs with the use of pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, stable isotope analysis, and electron microscopy. Inflammatory biomarkers were assessed with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunohistochemical assay. The primary end point was a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death from any cause among patients who had evidence of MNPs in plaque as compared with patients with plaque that showed no evidence of MNPs. RESULTS: A total of 304 patients were enrolled in the study, and 257 completed a mean (±SD) follow-up of 33.7±6.9 months. Polyethylene was detected in carotid artery plaque of 150 patients (58.4%), with a mean level of 21.7±24.5 µg per milligram of plaque; 31 patients (12.1%) also had measurable amounts of polyvinyl chloride, with a mean level of 5.2±2.4 µg per milligram of plaque. Electron microscopy revealed visible, jagged-edged foreign particles among plaque macrophages and scattered in the external debris. Radiographic examination showed that some of these particles included chlorine. Patients in whom MNPs were detected within the atheroma were at higher risk for a primary end-point event than those in whom these substances were not detected (hazard ratio, 4.53; 95% confidence interval, 2.00 to 10.27; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, patients with carotid artery plaque in which MNPs were detected had a higher risk of a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death from any cause at 34 months of follow-up than those in whom MNPs were not detected. (Funded by Programmi di Ricerca Scientifica di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT05900947.).
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Enfermedades de las Arterias Carótidas , Microplásticos , Placa Aterosclerótica , Humanos , Estenosis Carotídea/diagnóstico por imagen , Estenosis Carotídea/etiología , Estenosis Carotídea/patología , Microplásticos/efectos adversos , Infarto del Miocardio/etiología , Infarto del Miocardio/mortalidad , Placa Aterosclerótica/química , Placa Aterosclerótica/etiología , Placa Aterosclerótica/mortalidad , Placa Aterosclerótica/patología , Plásticos/efectos adversos , Estudios Prospectivos , Accidente Cerebrovascular/etiología , Accidente Cerebrovascular/mortalidad , Factores de Riesgo de Enfermedad Cardiaca , Endarterectomía Carotidea , Enfermedades de las Arterias Carótidas/etiología , Enfermedades de las Arterias Carótidas/patología , Enfermedades de las Arterias Carótidas/cirugía , Estudios de SeguimientoRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: New techniques are required to guarantee the authenticity of food, especially for PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) trademarks. The genuineness of a product is directly related to the raw material and to the production process used. In this article, the traceability of the Mozzarella di Bufala Campana PDO was investigated, using carbon, nitrogen and oxygen stable isotopes ratios, measured on buffalo feeding, milk and mozzarella, from Caserta and Salerno farms. Furthermore, 37 mozzarella brands were analyzed (carbon, nitrogen and oxygen isotopes) from the different production areas, to characterize their origin. RESULTS: The results of this work showed no changes in carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios of milk and mozzarella, indicating no fractionation in the production process. The δ13 C of milk was influenced by feeding signal; while, milk δ15 N was regulated by fractionation occurring during ruminant metabolism. Mozzarella oxygen isotopic signal depleted with respect to the milk one. Regarding brand samples, it was found that the geographical differentiation is based more on carbon isotopes than on the nitrogen and oxygen ones. CONCLUSION: This work gives an important contribution to the knowledge regarding the traceability of such a particular cheese as mozzarella. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Isótopos de Carbono/análisis , Queso/análisis , Contaminación de Alimentos/análisis , Isótopos de Nitrógeno/análisis , Isótopos de Oxígeno/análisis , Alimentación Animal/análisis , Animales , Búfalos/metabolismo , Leche/química , Leche/metabolismoRESUMEN
The wastewater sector accounts for 25% of the global energy demand in the water sector. Since this consumption is expected to increase in the forthcoming years, energy optimization strategies are needed. A truly effective planning of energy improvement measures requires a detailed knowledge of a system, which can only be achieved through energy audit and real-time monitoring. In order to improve the identification of critical issues related to the use of energy resources within a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), the paper shows the results of a monitoring campaign performed on a large WWTP in southern Italy. Data obtained for the audit cover a 4-year timeframe (2014-2017). Energy-environmental performance has been evaluated through the benchmarking of: system variables, specific consumptions, and operational indicators. Moreover, by using a real-time data measurement and acquisition system it has been possible to evaluate the real performance of the most energy-intensive apparatus of the plant (a turbo-blower), over a period of 8 months. The main results indicate that (a) the plant is mainly affected by a massive capture of infiltrations, working in conditions close to the maximum hydraulic capacity, (b) real-time energy measurements are necessary to accurately characterize plant consumptions and adequately assess their critical aspects.
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Eliminación de Residuos Líquidos , Aguas Residuales , Benchmarking , ItaliaRESUMEN
We present Isotòpia, an open-access database compiling over 36,000 stable isotope measurements (δ13C, δ15N, δ18O, δ34S, 87Sr/86Sr, 206Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb, 208Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/206Pb, and 208Pb/206Pb) on human, animal, and plant bioarchaeological remains dating to Classical Antiquity (approximately 800 BCE - 500 CE). These were recovered from different European regions, particularly from the Mediterranean. Isotòpia provides a comprehensive characterisation of the isotopic data, encompassing various historical, archaeological, biological, and environmental variables. Isotòpia is a resource for meta-analytical research of past human activities and paleoenvironments. The database highlights data gaps in isotopic classical archaeology, such as the limited number of isotopic measurements available for plants and animals, limited number of studies on spatial mobility, and spatial heterogeneity of isotopic research. As such, we emphasise the necessity to address and fill these gaps in order to unlock the reuse potential of this database.
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Arqueología , Bases de Datos Factuales , Isótopos , Plantas , Humanos , Animales , Isótopos/análisis , Plantas/química , Historia AntiguaRESUMEN
Medieval southern Italy is typically viewed as a region where political, religious, and cultural systems coexisted and clashed. Written sources often focus on elites and give an image of a hierarchical feudal society supported by a farming economy. We undertook an interdisciplinary study combining historical and archaeological evidence with Bayesian modelling of multi-isotope data from human (n = 134) and faunal (n = 21) skeletal remains to inform on the socioeconomic organisation, cultural practices, and demographics of medieval communities in Capitanata (southern Italy). Isotopic results show significant dietary differences within local populations supportive of marked socioeconomic hierarchies. Bayesian dietary modelling suggested that cereal production, followed by animal management practices, was the economic basis of the region. However, minor consumption of marine fish, potentially associated with Christian practices, revealed intra-regional trade. At the site of Tertiveri, isotope-based clustering and Bayesian spatial modelling identified migrant individuals likely from the Alpine region plus one Muslim individual from the Mediterranean coastline. Our results align with the prevailing image of Medieval southern Italy but they also showcase how Bayesian methods and multi-isotope data can be used to directly inform on the history of local communities and of the legacy that these left.
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This study focuses on the changes in diet and mobility of people buried in the La Sassa cave (Latium, Central Italy) during the Copper and Bronze Ages to contribute to the understanding of the complex contemporary population dynamics in Central Italy. To that purpose, carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses, strontium isotope analyses, and FT-IR evaluations were performed on human and faunal remains from this cave. The stable isotope analyses evidence a slight shift in diet between Copper and Bronze Age individuals, which becomes prominent in an individual, dating from a late phase, when the cave was mainly used as a cultic shelter. This diachronic study documents an increased dietary variability due to the introduction of novel resources in these protohistoric societies, possibly related to the southward spread of northern human groups into Central Italy. This contact between different cultures is also testified by the pottery typology found in the cave. The latter shows an increase in cultural intermingling starting during the beginning of the middle Bronze Age. The local mobility during this phase likely involved multiple communities scattered throughout an area of a few kilometers around the cave, which used the latter as a burial site both in the Copper and Bronze ages.
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Dieta , Isótopos de Estroncio , Humanos , Espectroscopía Infrarroja por Transformada de Fourier , Italia , Isótopos de Estroncio/análisis , Isótopos de Nitrógeno/análisis , Dinámica Poblacional , ArqueologíaRESUMEN
RATIONALE: The 6(th) archaeological excavation campaign performed at the 'Pieve di Pava' (San Giovanni d'Asso, Siena, Italy) unearthed a privileged stone burial of a single individual (US 2378), covered by a monolithic slab and placed in front of an altar. The skeletal remains of a young male (18-20 years old), not in anatomical connection, were found at the bottom floor of a tomb (160 cm long, 40 cm large and over 70 cm deep). METHODS: A multidisciplinary study has been carried out concerning that privileged bone burial. The study combines paleopathology studies, stable isotope palaeodietary reconstruction, radiocarbon dating and archaeological analyses. RESULTS: (14) C dating of the skeleton revealed a date between 650 and 688 AD. Stable isotope analysis (δ(18) O, δ(13) C, δ(15) N) attested that he was probably a member of the local population, whose diet was rather rich in animal proteins. The paleopathological study diagnosed a case of acromesomelic dysplasia, a congenital anomaly with disproportion of the limbs. Archaeological evidence regarding the circular delimitation of the bones suggested that the skeleton was a secondary deposition, transported to the church in a sack. CONCLUSIONS: We argue that the relic was used for the re-consecration of the church, following the restoration work in the 8(th) century. We conclude that the skeleton belonged to an eminent personage (e.g., either the member of a local elite family or a saint).
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Entierro/métodos , Paleopatología/métodos , Adolescente , Arqueología , Entierro/historia , Isótopos de Carbono/análisis , Historia Medieval , Humanos , Italia , Masculino , Isótopos de Nitrógeno/análisis , Isótopos de Oxígeno/análisis , Paleopatología/historia , Datación Radiométrica , Esqueleto , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Buffalo dung is a low-cost substrate with plenty of carbohydrates, an optimal carbon/nitrogen ratio, and a rich microbial flora, and could become a valuable source of biogas. Therefore, in the present study we compared the type and amount of specific eubacteria to the different configurations of pH, temperature and thermal pretreatment after fermentation in batch reactors in order to understand the suitability of buffalo manure for hydrogen production. The phylogenetic structure of the microbial community in fermentation samples was studied using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis to generate fingerprints of 16S rRNA genes. The sequences analysis revealed abundance of the phyla Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, and in particular of the order Clostridiales. Very active hydrogen producing bacteria belonging to Clostridium cellulosi species were identified demonstrating the suitability of this substrate to produce hydrogen. Moreover, a large fraction of 16S-rDNA amplicons could not be assigned to lower taxonomic ranks, demonstrating that numerous microorganisms involved in anaerobic fermentation in digesters or bioreactors are still unclassified or unknown.
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Bacterias/metabolismo , Búfalos/microbiología , Heces/microbiología , Hidrógeno/metabolismo , Animales , Bacterias/genética , Bacterias/aislamiento & purificación , Técnicas de Cultivo , ADN Bacteriano/genética , ADN Bacteriano/aislamiento & purificación , Electroforesis en Gel de Gradiente Desnaturalizante , Fermentación , Concentración de Iones de Hidrógeno , Metagenoma , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Filogenia , ARN Bacteriano/genética , ARN Bacteriano/aislamiento & purificación , ARN Ribosómico 16S/genética , ARN Ribosómico 16S/aislamiento & purificación , Análisis de Secuencia de ADN , TemperaturaRESUMEN
Promoting energetic and environmental sustainability in the naval sector requires a necessary understanding of the energy demand of vessels and of the factors affecting it. This article shows the results of a study conducted by the shipping company MedMar aimed at acquiring a detailed analysis of the energetic performances of its fleet. The study involved the analysis of fuel consumption and emissions of the fleet using a specific software and under different scenarios, assuming the navigation speed and the cargo level of the vessels as reference parameters. Simulations also provided a comparison, concerning emissions and externalities, between ships and two different means of transport. The purpose of this study was to identify potential areas of improvement, where ad hoc strategies could be used to further optimise the energetic and environmental performance of MedMar fleet and mitigate its impact on the delicate ecosystem of the gulf of Naples, where the fleet sails. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12053-022-10064-7.
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Rare earth elements (REEs) are essential components of modern technologies and are often challenging to acquire from natural resources. The demand for REEs is so high that there is a clear need to develop efficient and environmentally-friendly recycling methods. In the present study, freeze-dried cells of the extremophile Galdieria sulphuraria were employed to recover yttrium, cerium, europium, and terbium from quaternary-metal aqueous solutions. The biosorption capacity of G. sulphuraria freeze-dried algal biomass was tested at different pHs, contact times, and biosorbent dosages. All rare earths were biosorbed in a more efficient way by the lowest dose of biosorbent, at pH 4.5, within 30 min; the highest removal rate of cerium was recorded at acidic pH (2.5) and after a longer contact time, i.e., 360 min. This study confirms the potential of freeze-dried cells of G. sulphuraria as innovative ecological biosorbents in technological applications for sustainable recycling of metals from e-waste and wastewater.
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The lanthanides are among the rare earth elements (REEs), which are indispensable constituents of modern technologies and are often challenging to acquire from natural resources. The demand for REEs is so high that there is a clear need to develop efficient and environmentally-friendly recycling methods. In the present study, living cells of the extremophile Galdieria sulphuraria were used to remove four REEs, Yttrium, Cerium, Europium, and Terbium, from single- and quaternary-metal aqueous solutions. Two different strains, SAG 107.79 and ACUF 427, were exposed to solutions buffered at pH 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, and 5.5. Our data demonstrated that the removal performances were strain and pH dependent for all metal ions. At lower pH, ACUF 427 outperformed SAG 107.79 considerably. By increasing the pH of the solutions, there was a significant surge in the aqueous removal performance of both strains. The same trend was highlighted using quaternary-metal solutions, even if the quantities of metal removed were significantly lower. The present study provided the first insight into the comparative removal capacity of the Galdieria sulphuraria strains. The choice of the appropriate operational conditions such as the pH of the metal solutions is an essential step in developing efficient, rapid, and straightforward biological methods for recycling REEs.
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Mortars represent a class of building and art materials that are widespread at archeological sites from the Neolithic period on. After about 50 years of experimentation, the possibility to evaluate their absolute chronology by means of radiocarbon ((14)C) remains still uncertain. With the use of a simplified mortar production process in the laboratory environment, this study shows the overall feasibility of a novel physical pretreatment for the isolation of the atmospheric (14)CO(2) (i.e., binder) signal absorbed by the mortars during their setting. This methodology is based on the assumption that an ultrasonic attack in liquid phase isolates a suspension of binder carbonates from bulk mortars. Isotopic ((13)C and (14)C), % C, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses were performed to characterize the proposed methodology. The applied protocol allows suppression of the fossil carbon (C) contamination originating from the incomplete burning of the limestone during the quick lime production, providing unbiased dating for "laboratory" mortars produced operating at historically adopted burning temperatures.
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During the last year, science has been focusing on the research of antivirally active compounds overall after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, which caused a great amount of deaths and the downfall of the economy in 2020. Photosynthetic organisms such as microalgae are known to be a reservoir of bioactive secondary metabolites; this feature, coupled with the possibility of achieving very high biomass levels without excessive energetic expenses, make microalgae worthy of attention in the search for new molecules with antiviral effects. In this work, the antiviral effects of microalgae against some common human or animal viruses were considered, focusing our attention on some possible effects against SARS-CoV-2. We summed up the data from the literature on microalgae antiviral compounds, from the most common ones, such as lectins, polysaccharides and photosynthetic pigments, to the less known ones, such as unidentified proteins. We have discussed the effects of a microalgae-based genetic engineering approach against some viral diseases. We have illustrated the potential antiviral benefits of a diet enriched in microalgae.
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Over the past decades, wastewater research has increasingly focused on the use of microalgae as a tool to remove contaminants, entrapping nutrients, and whose biomass could provide both material and energy resources. This review covers the advances in the emerging research on the use in wastewater sector of thermoacidophilic, low-lipid microalgae of the genus Galdieria, which exhibit high content of protein, reserve carbohydrates, and other potentially extractable high-value compounds. The natural tolerance of Galdieria for high toxic environments and hot climates recently made it a key player in a single-step process for municipal wastewater treatment, biomass cultivation and production of energetic compounds using hydrothermal liquefaction. In this system developed in New Mexico, Galdieria proved to be a highly performing organism, able to restore the composition of the effluent to the standards required by the current legislation for the discharge of treated wastewater. Future research efforts should focus on the implementation, in the context of wastewater treatment, of more energetically efficient cultivation systems, potentially capable of generating water with increasingly higher purity levels.
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Algal based wastewater treatment offers the opportunity to recover, in the form of biomass, the nutrients and internal chemical energy of wastewater. Recently, there has been a growing interest in the use of extremophilic microalgae, as they can easily adapt to difficult and often pollutant-rich environments. The thermo-acidophilic microalga Galdieria phlegrea is a species of recent discovery and great metabolic versatility, but it has still been poorly studied. Here, G. phlegrea was cultivated using raw municipal wastewater in 1 L Erlenmeyer flasks with 700 mL working volume at 37 °C for up to nine days. During the cultivation phase, biomass growth, phycocyanin content, ammonium and phosphate removal from the wastewater, lipid fraction, total carbon and nitrogen in the biomass, and variation in δ13C and δ15N isotopic ratios (a novel analytical contribution in these experiments) were monitored. Results indicated that G. phlegrea was able to grow in raw effluent, where it removed more than 50% ammonium and 20% phosphate in 24 h; total lipid content was in the range of 11-22%, while average C-N content was of 45% and 6%, respectively; isotopic analyses proved to be a useful support in identifying C and N metabolic pathways from effluent to biomass. Overall, G. phlegrea showed consistent performance with similar Cyanidiophyceae and is a potentially viable candidate for municipal wastewater valorization from a circular economy perspective.
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Microalgas , Rhodophyta , Biomasa , Nitrógeno , Aguas ResidualesRESUMEN
Three female skeletons, dated back to the beginning of the 15th century were recovered during an archaeological excavation in the Guinigi Chapel in Lucca (Italy). Archaeological and historical sources indicated that the remains might be those of Paolo Guinigi's wives. At the beginning of the 15th century Paolo Guinigi ruled Lucca for nearly 30 years (1400-1429), providing a long period of wealth and peace to the city. In those years of power Paolo Guinigi married four women from different countries. This study is aimed at identifying the three skeletons of Paolo's wives found in the Guinigi Chapel. The three skeletons were identified using a multidisciplinary approach, by integrating historical, archaeological, anthropological, and isotopic data. The anthropological studies evidenced the biological profile of two adult women and of one adolescent female, in agreement with the historical descriptions of three of the four wives of Paolo Guinigi. The isotopic analysis supported the identification of each individual.
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Huesos/anatomía & histología , Huesos/patología , Adolescente , Adulto , Antropología Física , Arqueología , Entierro/historia , Femenino , Historia del Siglo XV , Humanos , Italia/etnología , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Using a range of chromatographic, spectroscopic, and mass spectrometric analytical techniques, we characterized one of the "edible items" found at the Vesuvius archeological sites and guarded at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN) in Naples, Italy. We authenticated the specimen contained in a glass bottle (Mann-S1 sample) as originally olive oil and mapped the deep evolution throughout its 2000 years of storage. Triacylglycerols were completely hydrolyzed, while the resulting (hydroxy) fatty acids had partly condensed into rarely found estolides. A complex pattern of volatile compounds arose mainly from breakdown of oleic acid. With excellent approximation, radiocarbon dating placed the find at the time of the Plinian Mount Vesuvius eruption in 79 A.D., indicating that Mann-S1 is probably the oldest residue of olive oil in the world found in bulk amount (nearly 0.7 L).
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The Tomb of the Diver has been subject for many decades of fierce debate among archaeologists and classicists. Since its discovery in 1968, some scholars have considered it a unique example of the lost tradition of Greek painting, others have emphasized Etruscan or Italic parallels. More recently, a possible local production has been suggested. With the aim of trying to solve the archaeological question, an archaeometric comparison among this well-known artwork and several frescoed tombs coming from Hellenistic and Lucan necropolis was carried out. The multi-analytical study was focused on the identification of peculiar features of executive techniques and raw materials since the first period of the archaeological site. The analytical investigation has been preliminary based on a non-destructive approach, performed in-situ by portable equipment including imaging diagnostics and compositional spectroscopic techniques for identifying pigments and the conservation state of original painted surface; subsequently, a further deepening by using destructive techniques was performed in-lab for the mortar-based supports characterization. Archaeometric study suggested that technological choices slightly changed in a time span of about two centuries, highlighting important markers that allow clustering the contemporary artistic productions. Moreover, a comparison with mortars from temples decorations was provided to better understand the whole artistic context. The archaeometric data showed that the Tomb of the Diver could be traced back to a local artisanal tradition and therefore is neither Etruscan nor Greek, but the first and foremost an expression of the local elite culture of Paestum.
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Arqueología , Pinturas/historia , Historia Antigua , Humanos , ItaliaRESUMEN
A new system for soil respiration measurement [P. Rochette, L.B. Flanagan, E.G. Gregorich. Separating soil respiration into plant and soil components using analyses of the natural abundance of carbon-13. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 63, 1207-1213 (1999).] was modified in order to collect soil-derived CO2 for stable isotope analysis. The aim of this study was to assess the suitability of this modified soil respiration system to determine the isotopic composition (delta13C) of soil CO2 efflux and to measure, at the same time, the soil CO2 efflux rate, with the further advantage of collecting only one air sample. A comparison between different methods of air collection from the soil was carried out in a laboratory experiment. Our system, as well as the other dynamic chamber approach tested, appeared to sample the soil CO2, which is enriched with respect to the soil CO2 efflux, probably because of a mass dependent fractionation during diffusion and because of the atmospheric contribution in the upper soil layer. On the contrary, the static accumulation of CO2 into the chamber headspace allows sampling of delta13C-CO2 of soil CO2 efflux.